Eduard III of Alessandri
Edvard III "The Reformer" (1594 - 1629 DE) was the fifth child and only son of King Nikolaus VIII and Queen Sophie of Alessandri. He has long been considered one of Alessandri's most influencial kings.
Early Life
Prince Edvard of Euston was born on August 13, 1594 at the Neues Palais in Jetternacht. At the time of Edvard's birth, his mother, Sophie, then the Countess Euston, had already given birth to four daughters, Elisabeth (1585), Frederike (1587), Caroline (1589) and Ina-Marie (1591) before Edvard was born. Until he turned six, he lived with his parents in their apartments, and was spoiled by his family, given his rank as a future soverign, as well as the position of youngest child and only boy. As a small child, he wore his sisters' old dresses and played with their toys.
Education
As second in line to the throne, after his father, Prince Edvard's education was to begin the day after his sixth birthday. When a royal child reaches six, it is normally the age they leave the nursery and move into their own room. For Prince Edvard, he was moved to a seperate wing of the Neues Palais, separated from his parents and sisters. He suffered through a demanding and rigorious program of learning. He awoke every morning at 6:00, took a cold bath, and sat down to a breakfast consisting of a hard roll and a cup of tea. His daily routine began at 7:00, beginning with eight hours of classes, including lessons in German, English, French, Latin, Alessandrian history, literature, arithmetic, religion, diplomacy, and deportment. Lunch was served at one o'clock, consisting of hot soup, a roll, tea, and occasionally a piece of fruit. Then, classes resumed for another four hours, this time in the form of a military education required of all princes of the royal blood. Edvard was immersed in military culture and taught how to ride a horse, obey an officer's orders, perform in drills and exercises, and even how to load and use firearms, which were introduced in his great-grandfather's reign. At 5:00, Edvard had a light supper of bread and butter, a hearty soup of vegetables and meat, and tea. At 5:45, he was allowed to visit his parents and sisters, and together the family enjoyed one another's company. At 8:00, they ate dinner, and Edvard had a much fuller meal. At precisely 9:00, his manservant would arrive to escort the young prince back to his apartments, and Edvard would head to bed at 9:30, after his prayers. Edvard lived in this scheduled life for ten long years. At sixteen, he was freed from his schedule and moved into his own apartments at Neues Palais. By then, his sisters had all been married. Edvard was asked to be godfather for the firstborn children of each of his sisters: Lady Thyra of Baden (1607), Elisabeth's daughter; Prince Eitel Johann of Bindesuala (1608), Caroline's son; Lord Luitpold von Lippe (1610), Frederike's son; and Princess Christina Dorothea of Hasselt (1612), Ina-Marie's daughter.
As Duke of Iksander
King Luitpold V died in 1614, and Edvard's father became King Nikolaus V. Edvard became Crown Prince, and Duke of Iksander. Now twenty, Edvard decided on a career in the military. He entered as private in the Alessandrian 1st Hussars, assured that he would never see action. However, less than a year later, Bindesuala declared colonial war on Alessandri, and Edvard's company was sent to the front. The young Duke of Iksander proved valiant in battle and was promoted to first lieutenant and awarded the St. Rudolf's Cross for bravery. However, the war destroyed the relationship between the family and Crown Princess Caroline, who allied herself with her new country. When the war finally ended in March of 1618, his father encouraged him to settle down and find a wife.
Marriage and Family
In September of 1618, Edvard's brother-in-law, Christoph, Duke of Baden, introduced Edvard to his niece, Princess Marie Melita of Alepente. She was then only fifteen years old, but Edvard, then twenty-four, was determined to marry her. He inquired after her hand to her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Alepente, who gave him permission to ask her. That Christmas, Crown Prince Edvard proposed, and Marie accepted, thrilled at the prospect of leaving behind the stiff court of Alepente to marry a crown prince. The wedding was set for May of 1619. Edvard wore his uniform of the Alessandrian 1st Hussars, while Marie's wedding gown was made of all-white satin, trimmed with rose-point lace, festoned over a background of silver cloth. The lace flouce was 18 inches in width, and the gown itself relieved with loops of fresh orange blossoms. Her train was an astonishing seven feet long, and she was attended by six boys: Edvard's nephews, Princes Leonard and Teymuraz of Baden; Lord Luitpold von Lippe; and Prince Karl of Hasselt, as well as her two younger brothers, Princes Gottfried and Hubertus of Alepente.
Edvard and Marie's first child, a boy, was born on March 3, 1620, Prince Edvard "Eddy" of Iksander. He was followed, in 1622 and 1625 by Peter and Georg Donatus.
As King
In 1626, King Nikolaus became violently ill and died suddenly at the Neues Palais. Edvard and his family, who were vacationing in southern Alessandri, rushed to the capital city. King Nikolaus was buried at Schloss Scharn, and only his daughter Caroline was absent from the service.
Edvard, now King Edvard III, and his wife Queen Marie, had their coronation in January of 1627. They introduced Eddy as the new Duke of Iksander that March. King Edvard, during his short reign, introduced many reforms benefitting the population. He lowered taxes, improved the legislative and judical systems, promoted religious freedom, and restructured the education system, requiring it for all Alessandrian children. Many people believed he was the answer to the country's prayers.
Death
Edvard wrote, in 1629, to his sister, Princess Ina-Marie, that he was "quite happy with my little family and Marie is expecting another child, which we all hope to be a girl, as our family is full of boys." A month after writing this letter, a typhoid epidemic spread throughout the capital city. Frederike's oldest son, Lord Luitpold von Lippe, died on September 2nd, and Prince Peter took sick on September 3, followed by Prince Georg Donatus the next day. Prince Edvard was sent to stay in Baden with his aunt, while Edvard and Marie hovered anxiously over their youngest children. Prince Georg was the first to die, succuming to the disease on September 12th. No sooner had he been buried, Prince Peter also died. "...[we] suffered the loss of our two precious boys on the 12th and 15th, tho our eldest is out of harms way." Marie wrote to her sister on the 16th. The next day, Edvard was felled by typhoid, enduring nine long days of struggle. In the second day of his illness, he promised Marie he would fight it, but ordered her to join Eddy in Baden. She left the next morning, in tears, while her husband lay dying.
On the 21st, he fell into delirium, calling for his mother. By the 24th, he was clearly at death's door. The next morning, he died, calling out "Marie!" to the end.
Marie and Eddy returned to Neues Palais on October 4th; Marie was dressed head to toe in black, while nine-year-old Eddy, now King Edvard IV, clutched his mother's hand, bewildered by the events of the past month. Marie nearly suffered a miscarriage upon hearing news of her husband's death, but in February 1630, she delivered a healthy baby daughter, Princess Edwina, named for her father. Now a widow with two young children, one a child-king, Marie, now Queen Regent for her son, set about planning the funeral for her husband. King Edvard is buried in a private masoleum near Schloss Tannenbaum next to his two young sons.
